Narrow win for Augsburg

Augsburg ended the Bundesliga season with a 2-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt but miss out of the Europa League.

Last Updated: 10/05/14 5:42pm

Augsburg ended the Bundesliga season with a 2-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt, although it was not quite enough to earn them a place in the Europa League next season.

Joselu put the visitors in front in the 15th minute, but goals from Ragnar Klavan and Andre Hahn, in his last game for the club, earned the Bavarians all three points.

With Mainz winning at home to Hamburg, it was not enough for Augsburg to snatch seventh place, although it will nonetheless be remembered as the best season in the club's history.

Armin Veh was sitting on the Frankfurt bench for the last time, in the city of his birth.

He was not pleased when Joselu was left completely unmarked at the far post to head in Sebastian Jung's long cross to put the visitors in front.

Augsburg's dreams of a place in Europe next season were slipping away, especially with news arriving that Mainz had taken the lead against Hamburg.

The Bavarians responded well, though, and levelled when Klavan was given three bites of the cherry to beat Kevin Trapp.

His first shot was cleared off - or slightly behind - the goal line while his subsequent header was blocked by Trapp - but the Frankfurt goalkeeper was powerless to deny Klavan at the third attempt.

During the half-time interval, Augsburg confirmed that Klavan had agreed on a new three-year contract - and there was more good news to come in the second half when a player who will be plying his trade elsewhere next season provided a fitting finale.

Hahn, called up to the Germany squad for the World Cup on Thursday, rose to beat Trapp with a stooping header late on to transform Augsburg's dominance of the game into a winning scoreline.

Even though it was not enough to finish seventh, an eighth-placed finish was celebrated like a cup final victory by the small Bavarian club.